Pair found guilty of murder, conspiracy

Thursday

Two members of a notorious street gang face up to life in prison after a federal jury convicted them of murder and conspiracy on Wednesday.

Jurors found Jose Robledo Nava and James Johnathan Cole responsible for the murders of Valerie Garcia and Michael Cardona in 2008 in Big Spring.

They were also convicted on drug conspiracy charges and Nava was convicted of additional firearms charges.

Both men were members of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation, a sometimes-violent, Chicago-based street gang responsible for running drugs from Mexico to locations throughout the nation.

The trial began last Tuesday under heavy security.

Much of the case against Nava and Cole centered on the testimony of jailed Latin Kings who turned on their Latin King brothers and in Nava's case, family.

Nava and Cole were accused of killing Garcia and Cardona in a drive-by shooting in May 2008 in Big Spring.

The Latin Kings had been in an ongoing war with a rival street gang, according to witness testimony.

Some witnesses said it was a battle over drug turf.

Nava's attorney, Rod Hobson, conceded the drugs and guns but maintained Nava was not responsible for the murder.

Cole's attorney, Rick Wardroup, admitted Cole was the trigger-man, but contended the killings were not drug-related and therefore should be adjudicated in state court.

Jurors deliberated for about 45 minutes before returning guilty verdicts on all counts.

Hobson said the verdict was a disappointment but he knew the government would present a lot of prejudicial evidence.

For more than a week, prosecutors brought witness after witness to the stand - fellow Latin Kings who repeatedly implicated Nava and Cole in return for what they hoped would be a reduced sentence.

In addition to stacks of photos showing Latin Kings flashing gang signs and wearing gang colors, the government built a mountain of confiscated Latin King firearms in front of the jury.

"It was a difficult case for them to separate the facts from the other stuff," Hobson said. "It's a bad day, no doubt about it."

Wardroup declined comment following the verdict.

Calls to Assistant U.S. Attorney Cody Skipper were referred to the Department of Justice public information office, which declined comment and deferred to a prepared statement released after hours Wednesday.